Oregon Ducks' 'horizontal leadership' put to the test following injuries to John Boyett and Carson York

Oregon Ducks safety John Boyett (20) tackles as The University of Oregon faces the University of Washington at Husky Stadium. Boyett, a prime leader with UO, has been lost for the season. Bruce Ely / The Oregonian

This is the sort of leadership and
institutional knowledge the No. 4 Ducks (2-0) lost this week when Boyett and York
went down for the season with knee injuries. Combined, they appeared in
81 games at Oregon. The fifth-year seniors are the last holdover
starters from the 2010 team that reached the BCS national championship
game. While their playing abilities will be sorely missed, perhaps the
loss of their on-field leadership will hurt the most.

Confident leaders

Becoming a respected team leader takes time. Credibility must first be achieved.

York
remembers when he was the follower. He came to Oregon in 2008, when the
Ducks had a veteran starting offensive line led by future NFL players,
Max Unger, Mark Lewis and Fenuki Tupou.

Carson York (left) and John Boyett (right)Randy Rasmussen/The Oregonian

Greatwood
said York became a reference point for young players on how much effort
was required to succeed. York organized summer workouts for the
offensive line and set up extra video sessions.

"Peer pressure
is always better than a coach so if there's a lack of effort, he's the
kind of young man that will take a kid, not verbally undress him on the
field, but tell him, 'Hey, this is what's expected of you,'" Greatwood
said. "I think any player respects that from an older player who has
been down that road before."

Sophomore center Hroniss Grasu leaned heavily on York as a first-year starter in 2011.

"He
was one of the big keys why last year I was able to come in and play as
a freshman and feel comfortable because he made me feel comfortable
playing right next to him," Grasu said.

Boyett led the team in being a "film rat," as described by Jordan.

"He makes plays basically from knowing where to be," Jordan said.

Boyett,
who wasn't available for comment this week, made a habit of dissecting
opponents. He passed on that knowledge to teammates.

Boyett's
replacement in the lineup, junior safety Avery Patterson, said his
mentor was so in tune with the opposition's offense that it helped calm
the secondary.

"It felt a lot more stable back there when we knew we had him back there," Patterson said.

Boyett's
leadership and knowledge also stretched to the Ducks' offense.
Quarterback Marcus Mariota said the safety would offer his help after
the redshirt freshman threw an interception during practice.

"He would come over and kind of ask what I saw," Mariota said.

Horizontal leadership

Although it hurts, the loss of York and Boyett as players is hardly a death knell.

Oregon
has 16 captains. Leadership, Oregon coach Chip Kelly said, is set up so
the team can handle losses of individual leaders.

Oregon running back Kenjon Barner is one of the Ducks' 16 "horizontal leaders."Bruce Ely/The Oregonian

The Ducks stress "horizontal leadership" among the players to supplement the top-down leadership from coaches to players.

Barner,
senior linebacker Michael Clay and Jordan might be the only other
leaders on the team that come close to carrying the same cache as York
and Boyett.

In the secondary, first-year starting safeties Patterson and junior Brian Jackson, will have to replicate Boyett best they can.

Aliotti said it won't come right away.

"It's
hard to lead sometimes when you're first jumping in as a starter
because you don't want to overstep your bounds," Aliotti said.

Aliotti
said it's imperative that both Jackson and Patterson find a way to
become vocal leaders in the secondary. Jackson said he already feels
comfortable in that role. Sophomore cornerback Terrance Mitchell said
the defensive backs have confidence in both Jackson and Patterson to
lead.

"Bottom line is, we don't have John," Aliotti said. "We have to move on."

Still around

Players expect both Boyett and York to act as virtual assistant coaches the rest of the season.

Boyett
took on that role Saturday by participating in secondary meetings along
the sidelines and offering information regarding what he saw the
Bulldogs doing on offense by deciphering signals.

Oregon senior guard Carson York, on crutches, tells the media his season and career are over at Oregon due to a knee injury.

"He was really helpful," Jackson said.

York,
injured during Saturday's game, attended Monday's practice on crutches.
That didn't prevent him from watching every drill and critiquing
linemen on their performance.

"I
envision him just shouting from the sidelines and in film room saying,
'Tyler, what are you doing on this play?'" Johnstone said with a laugh.
"And I'll be like, 'I don't know, man.'"

York said he plans to be as invested in the team's success as he's always been. He expects Boyett to do the same.

"I
promise you that no one in the world cares about the success of this
team more than John," he said. "No one is more shaken up and hurt by the
fact that he can't finish the season."

The collegiate playing days for York and Boyett are over. Life goes on. But their impact on this season should continue.

"Our
friends wouldn't want us to go down and just plummet without them,"
Jackson said. "In order to honor them we've got to continue the season
just for them and for the rest of our fans and our families."